Wedding Dresses
So this weekend I had an appointment to try on some wedding dresses. I took along my sisters and my Mum to help out. I think I have must have tried on around 5 or 6 with varying degrees of success! I wanted to ‘keep my mind open’ so tried on dresses from the lacey to the slinky to one that looked a little like a giant feathery bird (which was actually surprisingly nice on!). At the end of the session I had whittled it down to two quite different dresses. Luckily I don’t need to make a decision right now as my mother is an absolutely amazing dressmaker, so I am able to have a bespoke dress handmade for me. Yesterday we sat down over coffee to chat and do some sketches. The next step is for Mum to make a toile and for me to have some fittings! Perhaps we can combine the two dresses…. oh and some fabric shopping – The Berwick St Cloth shop and Borovick Fabrics no doubt.
© Charlotte Knee
The session also made me realise how important it is for a wedding photographer to get some really lovely shots of the wedding dress. Not only photographs of the dress on the bride, but some detail shots of all the buttons, lace, net, appliqué and diamantes, that can be so easily missed or taken for granted. I know, from Mum, how many hours go into making wedding dresses so I’m determined to make sure each of my brides get a ton of beautiful shots of every detail.
Making your own wedding dress rocks : ) Another great London shop for bridal lace is Joel & Son in Marylebone: http://www.joelandsonfabrics.com/location.php – don’t be put off by their website or window displays, they do sell Haute Couture lace. I got some gorgeous Elie Saab lace from them.
Also check out http://www.bridalfabrics.co.uk – they sell some of the Berwick Str. laces at trade prices and offer great customer service.
Lastly, this is a fantastic resource for all things bridal details, corsetry, buttons, lacing loops etc – I got buttons covered in my own silk from them for my dress: http://www.bridalcoveredbuttons.co.uk/Pages/ButtonsLace.aspx Also their patterns are very good, made to order, and are a great way to get your toile started.
Good luck and keep us posted!
Hi Julie!
Thanks so much – I’ll pass these links onto my dressmaker! I’m having my first fitting at the end of the month, so I’ll be sure to post some pics of how the toile is looking….
I too have tried on LOADS and none looked right, but I too have an amazing mum who is a dressmaker and she is going to make my dress and 3 bridesmaids! She has 4 months! I remember going to Berwick St for fabric for my sisters wedding dress, you will come out having brought more fabric than is ever necessary!
Hi Sophie. We are so lucky to have such talented Mums! Hopefully you found some inspirations form the dresses you tired on? I had a fitting yesterday, so we are both getting excited. Wow, your Mum is going to be busy! Good luck with everything!